How Do You Get Your Bail Money Back?
When your loved one is in need of financial assistance to post bail, a bail bond company is going to be one of the best options available. Your bail bondsman will ask for a percentage of the total bond that you’re requesting, usually somewhere between 10 to 15 percent, and then you will work out a payment method for the remainder of the bond.
Regardless of if you are using a collateral bond or a signed agreement that you will pay the bond in the case of a failure to appear from the defendant, the one thing on your mind at the time is getting your loved one out of jail. After all, has been said and done, the one thing that you want to know is how you’re going to get your bail money back. Given that this is such a common question, we wanted to cover some more information on how you get your bail money back.
Keep reading to see a few of the main things that need to happen after your loved one has been released, in order for you to get that money back.
Court Appearance
The one thing that bail is really centered around is a court appearance. Bail was designed to provide those that were sitting in jail with an opportunity to be released up until the time of their trial. The money that is paid is collateral to the courts to ensure that the defendant returns at the time of their trial.
One of the significant concerns in paying bail is the chance of the defendant fleeing prior to their court date. In these cases, the individual may feel that they are avoiding court fees and steering clear of a sentencing. Fleeing, however, will actually lead to the court keeping the bail money, adding to the criminal history, and will decrease the possibility of bail in the future. Aside from that, failure to appear leads to a warrant, which immediately puts them back in a bad place.
All things considered, the best move in regards to the future of the defendant would be to attend their trial. It’s sugar on top that you will also get your bail money back because they have attended their court hearing.
Complete the Trial
We just finished talking about how the court appearance is the best way that you can receive the money you’ve posted for bail, but it’s important to note that it’s not just a single court appearance that leads to the return of your money. For you to get back the money that you’ve paid for bail, the defendant needs to complete their entire trial. For some charges, a trial will last no longer than a day while others may go on for weeks. Depending on the allegations, the defendant must continue to attend and adhere to the requests of the court in order for bail money to be returned.
Again, it’s better to complete the trail and receiving a sentencing than to flee before the sentencing is complete. This is not only true for the return of bail money, but for the well-being of the defendant as a whole.
Retrieval of the Money
Once the court case has been concluded and the sentencing has been made, the next step is retrieving the money. The judge in charge of the case will issue an order for the bail amount to be returned to you. Most likely this will happen in the form of a check. The exoneration of the bail simply states that the money paid no longer belongs to the court system and is returned to the defendant. Stating this will result in a written check that is mailed out to the defendant or the individual that paid for bail that usually arrives within a couple of weeks.
A few things that you should be aware of is that most court systems will hold a portion of the bail money in the case of a conviction or sentencing. Though it may not seem fair to lose a portion of your money to the courts, this is something that could happen depending on the charges that were made. Aside from that, you should receive the bail amount back, and that will end the process.
Let ASAP Bonding Help You Post Bail
If you’re in need of a local bail bond company to help you post bail, contact ASAP Bonding. We work efficiently to ensure that your loved one is released from jail as quickly as possible. Aside from that, we know that the process of dealing with the jail can be stressful and emotional. That is why we prioritize our customer service and the quality of your experience.
Reach out to our team today to see what we can do to get you the bail money that you need. We would be happy to provide you with more information or answer any questions that you have.